Club liaison officer Howard Gould thanked the club and players for their continued support

Leyton Orient Trust has won the ‘Best Project with Player Involvement’ in the recent National League Trust awards.

The prize was presented by Brian Lee MBE, chairman of the National League Trust, at the Leyton Orient training ground in front of the first team players.

The trophy and a cheque for £5,000 were awarded to O’s chief executive Danny Macklin and club liaison officer Howard Gould, on behalf of the Trust.

During the 2017/18 season, the O’s players made over 200 appearances in the community, engaging with over 1,500 people. Players visited schools and hospitals, and supported national awareness days and causes.

In addition to this, they had involvement in some Leyton Orient Trust’s projects such as Premier League Kicks and Coping through Football (a mental health project delivered in partnership with NELFT and The London Playing Fields Foundation).

Lee MBE said: “Awards like this are so important because they highlight the community activities of clubs.

“Leyton Orient Trust does a significant job delivering a very extensive programme ranging from young people, old people and people with mental health problems.

None of which would be possible without the support of the Premier League and the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), who give us our annual grants and we make sure that money is distributed around the country.

Gould added: “We’re very proud and pleased to receive this award for our work in the community. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to ensure players are matched with relevant community projects, and this has proved highly successful.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to the players and the club for their continued support with this programme.”